The Fourth Empire
by Sub-Zero879
Summary: -Old- Ranma is in the world of Starcraft and in the middle of the war. What will he do and who is that Bounty Hunter? What's this about the Xel'Naga's weapon? RanmaStarcraftMetroid crossover
1. Prologue

Here we go: a rare SC/R½ Crossover. Later crossed with Metroid.

I do not own Ranma, Starcraft, or Meteroid. Actually I own SC and SC:BW, but that's it.

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The Xel'Naga, the first race to ever gain intelligence, watched their creations with sad eyes. What had once been so promising had turned rampant and now spun out of control. The parasitic Zerg, tactful Terran, and proud Protoss, each a vast empire that stretched across the galaxy, had fought to the bitter end for galactic conquest and survival. After the destruction of Aiur and betrayal of Kerrigan, the Empires' own forces turned on each other.

The Protoss Conclave had risen once again, traditional values overpowering their need of change. They slaughtered their brethren, the Dark Templar, on Shakuras in an attempt to gain dominance. Without their leaders Zeratul or Raszagal, the Dark Templar were wiped off the planet. Their defeat didn't come without a price, as they crippled the Conclave and assassinated the Executer. The weakened Conclave easily fell prey to the Zerg and their Queen of Blades.

The Terran Dominion also fought their own inner demons, as the United Powers League (UPL) of Earth tried to take control over their colonies once again. The Emperor Arcturus Mengsk, a long time war veteran and guerilla tactician, matched the UPL and held them to a stand still. They exhausted themselves and also fell to the Zerg.

Just as Sarah Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades, was about to take her place as ruler, the Overmind rose once again with the fusion of his last cerebrates. Without the Dark Templar to slay her once master, she was forced to take action. The Overmind quickly took control over his forces and countered her attacks. Millions of the beast were spawned and destroyed by their own kind. Before either side realized it, the masses of units took its toll as the resources of Char depleted. The loss of mineral fields and vespine gas ended the growth of the Zerg and the sides slowly died out. Kerrigan found that, like the Overmind, she carried slight Dark Templar powers and finished off the Overmind. It was too late, she realized, as the creep that kept all Zerg alive had died and she was left alone.

Before long, exiles James Raynor of the Rebellion and Zeratul of the Dark Templar confronted her. The two commanders had also lost their forces. It was a bitter reunion.

The desolate planet of Char was now barren. Kerrigan wandered the planes in hopes of finding a stray overlord. She noticed a black dot in the distance. She squinted her yellow eyes in hopes of finding if it was an overlord. As it came closer, she saw an outline of a T and cursed. Somehow a stray wraith had managed to find its way here. She cloaked and prepared a psionic storm, her only attack for an air unit. As it got closer, she noticed it was damage and was about to crash. She blessed her luck and prepared to attack the survivors of the attack.

The wraith flew erratically before finally brushing against the red sands. It bounced once before smashing into the ground at high speeds, kicking up dust behind it. It created a long trench before finally stopping. The cockpit opened, releasing massive amounts of smoke. Kerrigan moved closer and waited. She heard two coughs before, "WHAT THE HELL ZERATUL! I SAID PRESS THE BLUE BOTTON! THAT WAS OUR LANDING GEAR!" The owner sounded quite pissed, but Kerrigan recognized him. Feelings long dead after her infestation rose in her chest. Jimmy...

A softer, yet equally pissed voice replied, "Our landing gear was destroyed from that last scourge. Besides, we are where we need to be. Not ten feet away is your Kerrigan." The sound of a gun cocking was heard followed by a psionic blade powering on. Two figures stepped out, which surprised her as Zeratul had never left his cloak before.

Kerrigan let her own cloak drop, deciding to be fair. She gave a snort at that. Her... fair! That was a laugh. Yet there she was, standing unprotected in front of her once allies. She spread her wings wide in intimidation, "I see you are all that's left, human and Templar."

Jim had his gun trained on her head, but his eyes were soft, "You forget that you were once human too, Darlin'." The feelings in her chest rose again, but she crushed them quickly.

"I am not your 'Darlin' any longer. I am the Queen of Blades, and your demise."

Zeratul spoke up, his mystic voice strong, "You will not live after this day. None of us will."

Kerrigan scoffed, "I will, foolish Templar. With your bodies I will resurrect the Zerg and infest more worlds. I will rebuild my Empire and be Queen once more. I – " A gun shot cut her off. A bullet ripped through her wing at the core and fell to the ground like a branch. Her eyes widened in surprise and pain.

The gruff voice of Jim was hoarse, "I'm sorry, Darlin', but today truly is our last day." He cocked his pistol once more and this time trained it on her heart.

Kerrigan shook her head. "You don't understand." She showed where her wing was just shot off, revealing it growing back slowly. "I can't be killed by you... Jimmy." Jim's breath caught in his thought as he heard that. If he closed his heads he was sure that he would be talking to the old Sarah.

"That is why I am here," came the voice of the forgotten Zeratul. His blade was in front of him protectively. His cape was in shreds and he looked weary, but his strength was still there.

Kerrigan realized that she truly was in trouble. Her gaze lingered on Zeratul before her eyes snapped back on Raynor. She shot her other wing forward and pierced him in the chest. He shot once and a bullet buried into her shoulder. Zeratul sprang into action and severed her wing. Raynor pulled out the wing and hissed in pain. He kneeled in pain and cradled the wound.

Jim looked up with sad eyes and said, "Sarah, I always did love you..." He cocked the gun and planted a bullet right in her forehead. Kerrigan screamed in pain. Zeratul didn't waste any time as he charged in an executed her. Her head rolled in the sand before finally coming a halt, her once beautiful features twisted into a scowl of pure hatred.

Zeratul turned around to face Raynor, finding him clinging onto the last strands of life. Raynor looked up and asked, "You can fix this, right?"

Zeratul shook his head, "Physical wounds are beyond my capabilities. I can only heal damages of the mind." He deactivated his psionic blade and sat down, relieved that the threat of the Zerg was now gone.

Raynor spat some blood out of his mouth and gave a pained grin, "Not that, moron, I mean the universe. We are the last that survived, but you said there were others: The Creators. You said that you could contact them and have them fix all this."

Zeratul looked to the sky, his veiled face not revealing his emotions. Finally he closed his eyes and sighed, "I can, at the cost of my soul. I'm not as young as I used to be."

Raynor also closed his eyes, "Then use my soul. I told you and Tassadar I would follow you to the end. Tassadar already met his demise, so now I'll help you in any way I can. En Taro Morons!"(1)

Zeratul chuckled at the butchered phrase, understanding the meaning behind it, "En Taro Morons, Terran." Zeratul focused on his Dark Templar energies and clung onto his and Raynor's souls. He said lightly, "Prepare to be the first Terran to ascend." With that, both souls were torn from their bodies and were carried to the stars.

The Xel'Naga were surprised to see not only a Protoss but also a Terran appear on their ship. Not just any two, however, the survivors Jim Raynor and Zeratul. The watched amused as the Protoss bowed formally and the Terran just looked in amazement. The Protoss spoke, "As you know, divine beings, that the Zerg have ravaged the lands and killed all. We humbly request that you send us back with a way to stop them." Raynor had stopped looking around and now studied the powerful things in front of him.

The Xel'Naga were different than what Raynor expected. They each looked human too him. After Zeratul's request, he asked, "Is there a reason you look human?" Zeratul looked at Jim with a face that actually revealed emotion. He was pissed and embarrassed. Jim sweat-dropped, dreading the near future. Zeratul smacked him in the head and was about to start yelling when the Xel'Naga stopped him.

"Peace, Dark One," It said in a watery voice. "Young Raynor, we assume the look of what is familiar to you. As you see your species, the Dark One sees his. As to answer your request, Dark One, we shall. You and Young Raynor shall return back to a time in the war before things went out of control. We will send something with you, a weapon. A weapon capable of destroying all that is evil, and saving all that is good. Your memories will be sealed until you come in contact with the weapon. I warn you, however, to never try to harness the weapon. The more one tries to control it, the more resistant it becomes. Let it be free and it will be used to its full potential."

Zeratul had questions, but he dare not ask them to his gods. Raynor, on the other hand, had no problem with asking questions, "What do you mean? How will the weapon be used if one can't control it?"

The Xel'Naga smiled and said with its watery voice, "You will understand in time, Young Raynor. Remember these words and you shall win." It paused before glancing at a crystal on a wall. "Time runs out, my children. The time is near for you to go. I have one more warning: the Zerg is not all you will need to conquer. I fear more of my children have gotten out of hand and will approach when the war is over. Trust your enemies and fear your allies. Farewell." With a flash of light, the two souls vanished.

_Tendo Dojo..._

A sleeping pig-tailed boy was suddenly enveloped in a flash of light. His pack and blankets were taken with him, leaving no trace of the person behind. The panda that was sleeping next to him turned over in its sleep, missing the strange light. The night went on, undisturbed.

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(1) "In honor of Morons" in the Protoss language, En Taro Adun/En Taro Tassadar being the original phrases. If you can't understand what they meant, they were referring to the people they were going back to save. The fools they are going to save are Mengsk, Aldaris, and even Gerard DuGalle.

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Whelp here is my new story. I'm not sure how many will actually like it seeing as how it will take knowledge of Starcraft to understand, but I'll try to make it as understandable as possible. Next chapter will have a much easier to understand background story with descriptions. How many of you are actually Starcraft fans out there? 


	2. Tarsonis

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Here we go: a rare SC/R½ Crossover. Later crossed with Metroid.

I do not own Ranma, Starcraft, or Meteroid. Actually I own SC, SC:BW, and MP3 but that's it.

I may be slow to update, but update I shall.

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Chapter One – Tarsonis

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Ranma awoke to a feeling of falling. He sighed and braced for impact into the koi pond. To his surprise, his feet hit solid ground. He thanked his luck and opened his eyes. His first thought was, _Damn! Shampoo must have drugged me and brought me back to China!_

He was in a temple of some sort. The walls were made of a smooth stone, not a single one cracked or unperfected. The stones were large and grey in color. The floor was a mosaic of different stones, each one as smooth as the walls. Not a spec of dirt tarnished the floor. Ranma briefly wondered how the floor could stay so smooth, before casting that thought aside and figured he should have paid more attention to the things the teacher said in science class. In front of him was a door. Not surprisingly, it was also stone, but there was writing along it. Strange characters moved in a spiral pattern across the door, the center symbol being a simple circle.

Ranma studied the door, trying to translate it, before giving up and deciding to just open it. He grew confused as there was no handle or knob. "Stupid Chinese doors," he muttered. After poking and prodding a few places, he tried verbal commands. "Open. Open please. I command you to open. Open Sesame!" He growled when nothing seemed to work. He gave up and tried physical force. He stuck his fingers under the door and lifted up. Slowly, it crept up into the frame where a dull grinding sound was heard. A click was heard and the door doubled in weight. Ranma began to sweat as he struggled to lift it. With a final lurch of strength, he forced the door up. A crunch was heard as it locked in place inside the frame. Ranma sighed and breathed heavily for a few seconds. He glared at the frame before walking through.

The next room was bigger than, yet just as strange, as the first. The walls were still the same stone, but the floor stones formed into a pattern. The pattern revealed to be a spiral which led to a large crystal in the center. The crystal was purple and held in place by a large alter. The alter was riddled with the strange symbols. At the far end of the room was an exit.

Ranma wasted no time in walking to the exit. He sighed when he reached it. There goes the China idea. It was like nothing he had even seen before. Everything before him was metal. The ground made hollow clanks as he walked forward. There was a cliff a little farther ahead, so he walked to it hoping for a view of the rest of the strange place. With horror, he noticed that he was looking down in space. Now he really wished he had paid attention in science class. The vastness of space stretched before him.

_I know I don't pay attention in history, but I could have sworn that Columbia guy proved that there was no edge of the world,_ Ranma thought with a frown. To test if it was an illusion, he cautiously stuck out his foot and tired to touch the ground. He gulped when he realized that his foot hit nothing. He used his limited knowledge of gravity to think about the situation, _So if I just jump off, the gravity of this... place will stick me to the other side, right? Let's try this._ With a calming breath, he jumped. To his amazement, he fell right down the cliff and landed on the side of it.

Ranma smirked then did a wicked grin once he realized the possibilities of that place. Experimenting, he began jumping back and forth between the two sides. He got over the feeling of constantly changing gravity and began to get more daring. There was a platform floating in space about twenty feet away from the cliff. With a great leap, he jumped. Wind rushed through his hair as he soared over empty space. He felt the gravity change from pulling down to diagonal, before it did a sudden switch and began pulling him forward. He landed cleanly on the platform with grace, taking a few steps forward to balance himself.

Ranma decided to experiment once again. He jumped with less strength, predicting that he would land in the center. His decline left him at the place where the two gravities met, pulling equal force on his body. He sweat-dropped when he noticed that he was no longer moving. He was stuck floating between the two land masses. He tried to swim in the air, but that did nothing but make him look foolish. He finally tried lurching his body forward slightly. The gravity latched on and he began to slowly drift towards the bigger land mass. As more gravity took hold, he began to move faster. He finally landed and decided to return to the temple before he got in more trouble.

When he turned around to face the temple, he was surprised at what he saw. It looked so much smaller from the outside. Stone steps led to a top room that looked to be around ten feet by ten feet. After being inside, Ranma knew it was much bigger than that. He wondered if it was like the hidden weapons technique, where you could store a lot of things with little space. Deciding it was better to not think about all of these things, as it was making his head hurt, he just entered the temple.

Once inside, Ranma noticed that the crystal in the center of the room was flashing. Walking up to it, he began to study it. The dark purple gem was cut perfectly, with not a single flaw. He realized how much money that it could be worth. It was flashing from the dull purple to bright pink in slow intervals, almost like a heartbeat. Wondering if it was as smooth as it looked, Ranma placed his hand on it. That seemed to be the activation code for what ever it was as the pulsing stopped and the crystal turned black.

Ranma panicked and tried to fix it. Before he could do anything, one side of the gem showed a face. It was an old man who had a serene smile. Ranma could have sworn that the man was staring at him. He moved side to side and was amazed to see the face follow him. The man spoke with a watery voice that didn't match his face, "You have awaken, Young Terran. Welcome to one of my species' many temples. I am sure you have many questions, and I assure you I have many answers. Although, let me first tell you a story."

Ranma got over his initial shock and sat down, trying to get comfortable. He had a feeling that this would be a long story. The man spoke again, "First, I am not of your race, Terran. I am of the Xel'Naga, the first species to gain intelligence. As with your species, we were curious of the world around us. We began to study life around us and we learned many things. Our lifespans extended much longer than yours, so we were able to learn things to a much greater degree. After a millennia, we discovered all there is to know about the life around us. From there, we decided to see if we could alter the life.

"We did experiments that altered our bodies and our minds. Our bodies became more durable and our minds able to retain more memories. We strived to find the perfect body. We spent many centuries attempting to reach this perfection that we called _purity of form_. After some time, we became at loss of what else to alter. Our bodies were almost indestructible, we could breathe any gas, our minds able to hold more than all of the universe's secrets, and we even lost the ability to die of time.

"Our thirst for knowledge didn't end there. The thought of perfection was put on hold as we explored the science of technologies. After two more millennia, we mastered all of technology. We could build anything. Any size, any shape, any function: the peak of technology. We lost things to study, yet still craved for more knowledge. Seeing the vastness of the universe, we began to explore. Galaxies after galaxies were mapped out, along with every star and planet. We eventually reached a galaxy that was different from the rest: the Milky Way Galaxy.

"Inside that galaxy we found forms of life. We were thrilled at the concept of different life. We noticed their slow evolution rate and attempted to speed it up. Through our previous studies, we were able to shape and guide the species into how we saw fit. For a time, this entertained us. We formed species after species, trying different combos and testing them. The drive for perfection began once again. We tested and tested, each time unsatisfied with the results. We spent an eon on these experiments. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. Certain experiments became violent and fought against us. While our almost perfect bodies could fight off just about anything, some of our more perfected experiments began to fight. We lost quite a few of our brothers and sisters." The face took on a sad look, no doubt remembering the times. He eventually got back to the story.

"We were forced to retreat and leave the experiments stranded on the planets. We drifted around the Milky Way for a time. We were afraid to go back to experimenting after such a heavy blow. Towards the rim of the galaxy, we found another special planet. A large planet by the name of Aiur. On this world, we discovered a psionic hunter race, who displayed amazing strength, speed and resilience. We took this to be a sign of _purity of form_. The species also had a unique psionic link. Still wary of experimenting, we secretly cared for them from our ships in the sky. We were able to alter them slightly with what we call Khaydarin Crystals. They evolved from their hunter and gatherer ways to a civilized species. Seeing them as a successful creation, they were named _Protoss_, meaning "first born". We did this while hiding for many generations, and eventually, when we deemed it ready, we revealed ourselves to them. The site where we first set foot on Aiur was marked by a Temple, which we had constructed over a nexus of cosmic energy.

"The Protoss united, fascinated by us. They called us gods," the man said with a small smile. "Their psionic link allowed them to share thoughts. It connected them to each other, strengthening their unity. With our appearance on their planet, they began to explore the world of science. They advanced as fast as we did, and we expected them to reach our capabilities in no time. This was not to be..."

"In a matter of half a century, only 50 earth years, emotions took a hold of them. The tribes took pride in their work, and began to hide their secrets from each other. These secrets bred suspicion. It became worse and worse until the unity they had formed broke apart. They began to become greedy for each other's secrets, and the schism became so bad that the psionic link they once shared broke apart. Feeling responsible, we decided to leave the chaotic planet."

The man had become sad once again, "The Protoss were suspicious of us then. They led a full-scale attack on our Woldships. Our advanced technology easily fought off the attack and we left their system. Unfortunately, our retreat didn't come without costs. We lost two of our civilian ships, each holding thousands of our nonmilitary population. We had also destroyed the entire Protoss Fleet.

"Our leave had an even worse effect on the Protoss. Emotions ran high. They felt lonely that they were abandoned and angry that they had lost so many warriors. The frustration was soon passed onto each other. The tribes fought each other in something called the Aeon of Strife. The war lasted hundreds of years. All the knowledge that they learned from us was lost in the battle. It wasn't until a Protoss by the name of Khas came into being that they remembered. Khas had rediscovered our teachings and technology. Using his discoveries, which he called Khala, he was able to restore the psionic link between the Protoss. This ended the war. With this done, he divided the Protoss into three castes; the Judicator Caste (Politicians), the Templar Caste (Warriors), and the Khalai Caste (Workers and Artisans).

"A few of the Protoss refused to join the Khala. They were exiled from Aiur by the new government, and were later called the Dark Templar. These Dark Templar traveled the galaxy for hundreds of years with no home world, severing their psionic link with the other Protoss. During their travels, they learned to use cosmic energies to power their psionic powers. The Rogue Tribes eventually discovered the planet Shakuras during their journeys and remained there.

"As for the remaining Xel'Naga, we gave up our hopes of _purity of form._ We figured that there is no bodily perfection, and it is the imperfections that made something perfect. So we moved onto _purity of essence_." Ranma had an urge to sweat-drop. The face gave a hollow laugh, "Yes, it was also a foolish mistake, but this mistake cost us so much more.

"We settled over an ash-world named Zerus, located in the core of the galaxy, and chose the most insignificant life-form on the planet - a larval creature known as the Zerg. While having no ability to affect their physical surroundings, the Zerg had just the traits we were looking for: genetic versatility and psionic sensitivity. We nurtured these creatures, allowing them to affect their surroundings in almost parasitic ways. Eventually, they began infesting the creatures of the planet, turning them into monstrosities. The Zerg spread rapidly across the planet, infesting or slaying every living life form on the surface. In addition to this, they would absorb the creature into their gene pool, allowing the Zerg to replicate and then duplicate them, fueling their rapid growth. We realized our mistake with the Zerg, and, instead of revealing ourselves, created something to speak for them and contain their collected instincts and sentience. The Overmind was created in our fashion to watch over the swarm. We wanted to centralize the intelligence in the Overmind as opposed to the entire species, like we did with the Protoss. The Overmind, however, had its own plans. A surprise attack was launched against us, wiping out most of our Worldships and the greater whole of us in the first waves. The ones who survived fled Zerus and have been in hiding ever sense. So that's my story. Any quest..." Ranma had fallen asleep.

The ancient being, one older than any other in existence, rolled his eyes in amusement. He cleared his throat loudly. Nothing happened. He did so again with the same results. Then he got an evil grin and pressed a button from somewhere. A small bolt of lightning shot out of the crystal and shocked Ranma. He jerked slightly, but remained asleep. The Xel'Naga shook his head in wonder before his face disappeared off screen. When it reappeared, there was someone with him. The other person was a younger man around the age of twenty.

The first Xel'Naga grinned and said, "Watch." He pressed the button, and the sleeping Ranma was zapped once again.

When Ranma didn't wake up, the second Xel'Naga got excited, "You really weren't kidding when you said he would be stronger than any weapon." A strange glint appeared in his eye, "You think he would qualify for both _purity of form_ AND _purity of essence_?" The elder man bopped him on the head, making the younger grin, "I was only joking. I may be younger than you, but I learned from your mistakes. Besides, we both know how one would make a race that is _purity of being._"

"And I pray that it never happens," the elder said with a stern face. "For now, let's see how much our toy can take."

The younger's grin got wider as he said, "Again with the experiments? Oh well..." They began turning dials and pressing the shock button, each time the lightning getting bigger and Ranma's body jerking more severely. Finally, they turned the dial to max and pressed the button. A huge bolt of blue lightning struck Ranma. He spasmed for a few seconds before going still.

The younger Xel'Naga whispered, "Wow. I wonder if he could walk through a psionic storm unharmed."

"Well, seeing as to how that last beam was twice as strong as a psionic storm, I'm going to have to say that he could. The best part is that he doesn't even know how to use psi yet." He pressed a different button and a green beam of light shot out of the crystal and hit Ranma in the chest, somehow waking him up instantly.

Ranma groaned and wheezed out, "Sorry Hinako-sensei, I won't fall aslee... Where? Oh yah, the Zelnenga guy. What did you do to me?"

The old man smiled kindly, "It's Xel'Naga. As for what I did to you, you took a few thousand volts into your body for my amusement before I drained your physical strength. It seemed to be the only way to wake you up." Ranma sweat-dropped. "Well, as I was saying, do you have any questions?"

"Uh, could you run that by me one more time please?" Ranma asked with a sheepish smile. The old man sighed and retold his story, this time with pictures coming from the crystal. Afterwards, Ranma roughly got the story. "So the Xel'Naga kept trying experiments that kept revolting and you didn't learn? Then you finally were almost wiped out from the Zerg, and now have been wandering and observing since?"

The man kept his smile, "That's the gist of it, yes."

Ranma thought about it for a second before asking, "What about that Terran stuff you were talking about? What is that?"

"The Terran are those that have evolved from humans. At first, it was only a select few that were called this, but in time all humans had evolved enough to be called Terran. You, while not attuned enough to be called such, will be considered Terran by those you encounter. The main difference between the Terran and the Humans is that the Terran are becoming psionically potent. They are finally learning how to use their psi and are becoming stronger and stronger with it."

"So I'm not on Earth?"

"I'm sure you already know the answer to that. You are on the once Terran planet Tarsonis."

Ranma took what little knowledge he learned from Nabiki and used it to pick up the extra word in the sentence, "You say once. What do you mean by that? Has the planet changed ownership or somethin'?"

The older man laughed softly, but not in an unkind way, "Yes, I believe it has 'changed ownership.' As a matter of fact, only a few Terran remain, and that number is shrinking by the minute." He used a tone that said he was hiding something, but Ranma couldn't pick it up. "And because of that I only have to time answer one more question."

Ranma thought about it and asked, "Why am I here and how did I get here?"

"Two excellent questions, I assure you. How you got here, well I did tell you about our mastery of technology; it was simply a matter of who to bring. Which brings me to why you are here. I choose you to come here because there is a problem with the universe. While the Protoss, Zerg, and Terran Empires are powerful and extend over many planets, they are all in jeopardy. Civil war threatens each empire, and yet they fight each other. Millions have been claimed by this war, and that will jump to billions if it continues. The life of all three empires will be snuffed out by the time the war ends. That is why you are here. You will end the war between them."

Ranma went wide eyed at that, "How can I end the war? Sure I can probably beat any of them in a fight, but not all of them. All I know is fighting."

The Xel'Naga's endless smile just grew wider, "While your physical feats are great and numerous, that is not why I chose you. You have an honorable spirit that will not only guide you, but it will also bring many followers. You will fight and you will win. You must go, for time runs short. Outside the temple you will know where to go. If you ever need to speak with us, just find one of our many temples. While the one we made on Aiur is great, you might want to try the one on Shakuras, if you know what I mean. Until then, may your spirit guide you."

"Wait!" Ranma shouted as the crystal returned to the dull purple it once was. It no longer pulsed pink. Ranma suddenly felt very lonely. Everyone he knew about was gone. He wasn't even on Earth anymore, let alone in Japan. While it felt good to be out of all of the arranged marriages, Ranma couldn't feel that it was a hollow bonus. Even if the constant persistence of them was hectic at times, they were still his friends and he enjoyed being around them. Now they were all gone.

Slightly depressed, Ranma walked back outside the temple, looking for what the Xel'Naga guy was talking about. All he saw was open space and a few floating platforms. He squinted, noticing another land mass farther out. It was about two miles away, and there was activity on it. His eyes widened when he saw an explosion and smoke. Ranma finally noticed what he meant by the few Terrans still being here and the number declining. The few that were left were fighting for their lives and losing.

With a burst of strength, Ranma began to advance to the battle, jumping from platform to platform.

Kerrigan cursed when she got no reply. "Damn it Mengsk! I need help down here! JIM!" She paused her message by shooting a Zergling that got to close. Its brain splattered across the ground in a spray of gore. This did nothing to stop its allies as they advanced forward, ignoring their dead companion. A gurgled scream told her that it was only her and a fire bat left. They stood back to back, not going down without a fight.

A with a raspy grunt, the fire bat yelled over the howls and shrieks of the Zerg, "I'm out of oil!" Just when he finished saying that, his flame died out. Kerrigan, without missing a beat, pulled out her extra pistol and handed it to him. The sounds of gunfire added to the symphony of death.

Kerrigan roared as she no longer took aim with her rifle. The Zerg was thinning out. Only four Zerglings were left with two Hydralisks incoming. She pulled out another pistol and killed a Zergling that lurched towards her. With her rifle, she was able to hit one of the hydras in the chest, and blood began pouring out, but she knew it wasn't enough to kill it. She began opening rounds into the snake-like creature. It barely had a chance to hiss before the rain of bullets ended its miserable life.

Not allowing herself to take satisfaction in the death of the beast, she tried to take out the other Hydralisk. However, she was too late as it attacked. She watched with horror as needle spines were shot from the creature's mouth. They sailed through the air with deadly precision, piercing the Firebat's throat. The green poison began flowing through his blood stream and he dropped dead, instantly.

In fury, Kerrigan unloaded her rifle into the Hydralisk. It fell in a spray of blood. Noticing that she was out of ammo, she dropped the rifle and picked up her other pistol from the dead Firebat. With a roar, she began to shoot wildly. In a few seconds, it was over. A few of the lings were able to cut her up pretty badly, but it was nothing she couldn't take. She turned on her suit's medkit, and her wounds began to heal at a slow rate.

Kerrigan fell to her knees as she realized what had happened. Mengsk, the man she followed and looked up to for guidance, the man she jeopardized her friendship with Jim Raynor for, had betrayed her and left her abandoned on the Zerg infested planet. She had blinding followed his orders and slaughtered Executor Tassadar's forces, when Tassadar was only trying to get rid of the Zerg forces. She had defended the Zerg, the one thing she swore to kill. Overwhelmed with emotion, she began to cry. "I'm so sorry, Jimmy. I should have listened." In the distance, she heard an Ultralisk roar. She hung her head in defeat. Even a team of ghosts would have trouble dealing with an Ultralisk.

Ranma cursed when he saw the man who once held the flamethrower fall to the ground, probably dead. He was only a few hundred feet away. _Only a few more seconds._ He saw the girl kill the little dog things and was surprised that the dogs actually fought back. She collapsed onto the ground and Ranma knew she was injured. He made the final leap, just in time to see a monstrosity approaching.

It looked almost like an elephant. The only differences being that instead of tusk it held twelve foot blades that curved in front of its face. Its head was in a triangular shape that stretched back. It also had claws that were about six inches long on each of its feet. Ranma noticed that it was charging the downed girl with the intent to kill her. How he knew that, he didn't care, but what mattered was protecting her.

Ranma landed softly in front of the girl, causing her to look up in shock. He smiled and said, "Just relax, I'll handle this."

Kerrigan was almost too shocked to speak. Asked a second, she asked, "You do know what that is, right?"

Ranma turned back to the beast and said, "I would say an elephant with Akane's temper, but something tells me that's not right." He settled into a stance and prepared a ki attack. It needed to big if he wanted to at least affect the beast.

Kerrigan shook her head in disbelief, "It's an Ultralisk: an elite Zerg warrior. That thing can take out squads of marines by itself. Please, run while you can!"

Ranma let out a cocky smirk that she couldn't see, "I'm Ranma Saotome, and I don't run from a fight."

Kerrigan pleaded with the man, worried about the Ultralisk only 100 yards away, "It won't be a fight, it will be a massacre!"

"Thanks for the compliment, but I think he might give me a slight challenge," Ranma said. "Now watch, MOKO TAKABISHA!" A huge ball of ki smacked into the rampaging beast, stopping its charge. It slid back a few feet, but remained standing. It shook its head and began charging once again. Ranma frowned, "That would have slowed Taro for longer than that. Well then, this WILL be interesting."

As the beast approached, Ranma jumped into the air, over the Kaiser Blades, and onto its back. The Ultralisk stopped charging, confused as to where its prey went. It felt something tap its head and it looked up in confusion. Ranma smirked and slammed his fist down as hard as he could. Its face smacked into the ground, Kaiser Blades impaling through the metal terrain. Ranma jumped off and landed in front of the girl.

He said to her, "See, that wasn't too bad. Can you walk?"

Kerrigan opened her mouth to say something, stopped, and tried again, "That... was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. You didn't kill it, but for one punch to do that much... I don't know what to say. How did you do that?" Ranma held out his hand to help her stand. She grabbed it, but in a move that belied her injuries, she spun around and pinned his arm behind his back. One of her guns was pressed against his head, "Identify yourself! You are not Terran."

"Is this how you thank the person who just saved your life?" Ranma asked with a small smile. He tapped a single point on her wrist that paralyzed her arm and she let him go. _Thank you Doctor Tofu!_ "As I said, I am Ranma Saotome. I guess I'm not a Terran, but I'm human. And what do you mean that thing isn't dead? He wasn't moving when I finished. My hand still hurts from that hit too. That guy must be made of steel or something."

Kerrigan was amazed at how he broke out of her pin. She was slowly starting to feel her arm again, but it was amazing how he did that without her noticing. She decided to answer him, "I've seen those things take a blast from a tank in siege mode and keep running. A simple hit won't kill it, and its healing factor is in effect. It only takes around 400 seconds for that thing to be back to full strength even if it's at the brink of death. Any second now it will wake up and attack again. And if its skin feels like metal, it probably is one of the advanced Ultralisk." To prove her point, the downed beast growled and began trying to stand. With its blades stuck in the ground, it was having difficulties.

Kerrigan grabbed her pistol with her now freed hand and began unloading into the things head. She was only able to fire sixteen before she ran out of bullets, but Ranma was amazed to not only see the beast still struggling to stand but also that the small bullet holes were beginning to heal. Realizing he had no choice but to kill it, he told the girl to stand back. He tossed a single vacuum blade to the beast, which split its head in half, efficiently killing it.

Kerrigan was once again amazed to see what this person could do. He admitted that he wasn't Terran, but there was no way in hell he was human. She had no time to ponder on things, as she heard shrieks. She sent out her psionic senses and felt that the other party of Terran, the one sent out to kill the main Protoss base, was finally defeated and that the Zerg was coming back to finish her off. She said to Ranma, "We have incoming: around thirty, including Mutalisk and Guardians. We need to leave, now!" She grabbed her guns, but then stopped and muttered in a helpless tone, "But there is no where to leave to..."

Ranma, cursing the fact that sad girls were his weakness, grabbed her hand and began guiding her, "Don't worry, I can get us to a safe place. Follow me." Kerrigan was doubtful, but she had no other choice. She allowed herself to be dragged to the edge of the cliff. "Now this might feel strange if it's your first time, but just trust me." Without warning, he jumped down the cliff.

True to his word, it felt strange. She felt the gravity change from pulling her down, to pulling her towards the face of the cliff. It was exhilarating as she was in the air during the whole exchange. Ranma landed like he had been doing jumps like that for years. Ranma sprinted to where the next cliff edge was held, signifying that the cliff only had a thirty foot face.

Ranma jumped once again, landing on the other side of the 'planet'. He set Kerrigan down onto the cold metal and peered past the edge, trying to catch a glimpse of what he was up against. After a few seconds, he felt the ground rumbling. Growls, shrieks, and roars were getting loader. Ranma narrowed his eyes. _What the hell are these things?_ He asked himself. Right when he thought they couldn't get any louder, the sounds stopped.

Without looking at her, Ranma whispered to Kerrigan, "Stay here. I'll be right back." He began to move forward, but was stopped by a firm grip on his shoulder. He turned and was shocked to see an intense look on the redhead's face.

With a commanding voice, she whispered, "Don't even think about it."

Ranma tried to shrug the hand off, but she held firmly. "It's okay. I can go invisible. They won't even know I'm there. I just want a look." Without warning, the girl vanished. Ranma's eyes widened in shock, but he noticed that there was still pressure on his shoulder. He practically screamed when the woman's face reappeared less than an inch away from his.

"So can I, you fool. Cloaking isn't all that impressive." Ranma, unnerved by the closeness of the girl, forcibly removed her hand from his and backed away slightly. Before he could leave, the girl continued. "There is an Overlord up there." At Ranma's blank look, she rolled her eyes. "Big floaty things with long tentacles. It has an echo-system used to detect all cloaked objects."

Ranma frowned and sat down on the metallic paneling and sighed. Before he could reply, he heard multiple screeches. Turning quickly, he saw that his pig-tail had been sticking out and somehow attracted the attention of the Zerg. Four little dog things began scaling the cliff and the flapping of wings was heard.

Ranma looked back to the girl and saw her glaring at him. She turned her head with a huff and said, "You're on your own." She cloaked and the sounds of her getting up and running away were heard. Ranma looked at where she once was and blinked. Following her example, he slipped into the Umi-Sen-Ken and waited.

The four dog things arrived first. Upon closer inspection, Ranma noticed that they looked nothing like dogs. Large fangs, unprotected by lips, were barred menacingly with saliva dripping. Horns on the side of the head pointed forward like a bull. The front legs had no fur and had protruding bones. The foot broke into two talons that stretched six inches. The back legs, also bone covered, were spread like a frog's. Ranma guessed that the beast could leap far. On the back, two antenna-like things stretched out with two bone blades on the tips. Muscles connected to the bass of the antennas' suggested that they could snap forward with killing capacity. A tail strutted out of the back and looked to be used for balance. Ranma backed away, even though the things' blood red eyes didn't seem to spot him.

From above, the flapping got louder. Ranma looked up in time to see a flying monstrosity. Bat-like wings flapped erratically, connected to what looked like a flying... mouth. A trunk of flesh ended with a mouth that held four fangs, two on each 'jaw.' At first, Ranma couldn't see how it would attack something, but when he looked harder, he saw green gas seeping out of the mouth. He also saw a big spike ball was being sloshed around like a jaw breaker. The ball looked deadly, and Ranma guessed that it could be launched like a cannonball.

With the five creatures near him, Ranma made a simple plan. Ranma approached the nearest dog-thing and grinned slightly. He kicked it up as heard as he could. The thing growled in pain as it was launched into the air in a dead path towards the bat-mouth thing. Ranma gave a silent cheer when it hit the bat-thing dead on. Blood splattered across the flying creature and began raining down. Ranma noticed too late that the blood gave away his location. The few drops that landed on him caught the attention of the remaining four beasts.

Ranma cursed and propelled into action. He kicked another dog-thing at the flyer but it dodged nimbly. The dog continued on into the sky were gravity lost its hold and it drifted off. He had no time to watch as an antenna-blade almost slit his throat. Ranma slapped it aside and dodged the lunge from one nearby. Ranma back-flipped and grabbed the third beast. He jumped as hard as he could at the flying creature. He barely noticed the green spike ball that was headed towards him. He used the struggling Zerg in his arms to block the ball, but that ended in him getting covered more in gore. He threw the carcass back to the ground.

Ranma jumped into the air, grabbed onto the under-belly of the beast flying, and hefted himself to the top. With a well-placed punch, he stunned the creature. However, it quickly regained consciousness and began thrashing. Ranma, with nothing to hold on to, was knocked off. As he began his descent, he launched a vacuum blade at the thing's wing. The creature gave a loud cry as the wing was severed off and it began falling with him. Ranma landed cleanly, but he couldn't escape the falling beast. It landed on him with a loud crunch and made a big dent in the metal plating that was the floor.

The two remaining Zerglings approached the fallen Mutalisk. They looked for signs of their prey. Before they could touch the Mutalisk, the one on the left had its head blown off. The last Zergling turned and growled. It looked for signs of its prey. It barely caught sight of a flash before its life was also ended.

Kerrigan uncloaked and put her gun back in its holster. She walked towards the dead Mutalisk with her lips pressed tightly. She sighed. No one could live through that. The man, had performed physical feats not seen as possible. He had killed an _upgraded_ Ultralisk, three Zerglings, and a Mutalisk in twenty minutes. Unarmed. She sat down and cried.

Here she was, a supposed key-member of the Sons of Korhal, abandoned by her leader after arguing with her best friend. She was almost out of ammo save for her emergency clip of twelve rounds, the Zerg killed every other life-form, and the Protoss were sure to destroy the planet soon. And now, after all that, a man comes from no where and saves her life... and then he dies. What hand of fate would do such a thing?

With her head buried in her hands, Kerrigan felt a sense of longing. She missed her Jimmy. She wanted to tell him... that she was sorry. No, that's not right. She wanted to tell him of her feelings. She wanted to hold him. She wanted out of this war. She wanted to settle down and have little Jimmy's and little Sarah's running around a cot that wasn't bothered by fear or tarnished by war. _Why didn't I just tell him before I left?_ Kerrigan asked herself.

Ranma stood two feet away from the crying woman. He had pushed the corpse off him and was surprised to see the rest of the dog-things dead and the woman still here. Bright red gore was splattered across his chest and he tried wiping it off. Realizing it would go away until he washed his clothes and took a bath, he decided to do something about the girl.

_Flashback..._

_Akane stormed to her room in tears, leaving Ranma behind with a clueless look on his face. He scratched his head. "What did I do?"_

_Kasumi stepped out the kitchen with a frown on her face. She said, "Ranma, she's still sensitive about that subject. It's not easy to deal with and your taunts aren't helping."_

_"So what do I do about it?" Ranma asked genuinely. He would even apologize if Kasumi found it necessary._

_"Well," Kasumi started, wiping her hands on her apron to get the soapy water off, "An apology would be a nice start, but sometimes girls need a hug when they are sad. You're her fiancé, not her brother, so start acting like one."_

Ranma frowned. Maybe that memory wasn't all that helpful. He was pretty sure that he was only supposed to do that with his fiancées, not just anyone. Without a better course of action, Ranma sighed and said, "I'm sorry."

Kerrigan's head shot up fast enough to make her neck hurt. There before her, not two feet away, was the man who had saved her. Before she could ask what he was sorry about, she heard the screeching of more Zerg approaching. Ranma looked towards the cliff before kneeling down in front of the girl. He said with a tone of finality, "Get on."

Kerrigan looked at the boy's back with confusion in her eyes. "Get on what?"

"We need to run so I'll give you a piggy back ride and get out of here," Ranma replied simply.

Kerrigan was tempted to walk away. "Sir, I have never heard of a 'piggy back ride.' Are you sure everything is – ACK!"

Ranma interrupted her by stepping backwards, grabbing her legs firmly, making sure she was roughly on, and sprinting. Feeling her flopping around, Ranma shouted, "Hold on to something... Not the hair!"

Kerrigan settled for grabbing his shoulders, but she couldn't lose the wild-eyed, shell-shocked look. Lieutenant Kerrigan, a long time war veteran, assassin for the Sons of Korhal, notably heartless in actions, and murderer of dozens was being... carried on a stranger's back. She was heavily embarrassed, despite the situation. She was partially glad that she was left behind now. At least no one was left alive who could see her like this...

"Uh... Sir?" A young Protoss commander started. "I really don't know what to make of this."

Tassadar, an executor of the Protoss Conclave, approached the screen. The reptile-like skin and his fiery, golden eyes masked his emotions as he saw the two remaining Terran. Nothing changed as he saw the speed in which they were moving and that they were traveling away from, and faster than, the Zerg. However, his eyes turned blue when he saw that it was one Terran _carrying_ another and moving at that speed. (1)

Despite his surprise, Tassadar spoke with a sure voice. "Send interceptor 34-A ferrying empty interceptor 34-B and interceptor 16-C ferrying empty interceptor 16-D. I want those two Terran onboard before we destroy Tarsonis."

"Sir, are you sure? One of the Terran is the confirmed commander of the troops that destroyed our ground forces," the commander tried to argue.

Tassadar began returning to his seat. "Of course I'm sure. She was just following orders, something that you should do more often."

Ranma kept running, even after he could no longer hear the Zerg. It wasn't until four sleek, yellow vessels landed in front of him that he finally stopped. Ranma set the girl down and went into a fighting stance. The two closest vessels opened their cockpits. Ranma did a double-take when he saw what looked like reptile people.

The one on the left had purple, almost scaly skin and unblinking yellow eyes. Ranma noticed that the thing had no mouth, nose, or even hair. It was because of that that he flipped-out when it spoke. "Greetings, Terran. We are here to take you onboard the Gantrithor to meet with Executor Tassadar."

Ranma turned to the girl for advice but was surprised to see her gone. He sent out his Ki senses and found her to be creeping away. He held up his finger to the two Protoss and said, "Just a moment please." He turned around and grabbed the girl by the shoulder. "Hey, where ya goin'?"

Kerrigan stopped cold when she felt the hand on her shoulder. _That fool! Does he not realize that I had been killing the Protoss not an hour ago?_ That brought a flood of insight. _He doesn't know anything about this war!_ Kerrigan sighed and deactivated her cloak. She turned slowly with her lips pressed tightly together.

Ranma completely missed the pissed off look on her face. He put his hand on her back and pushed her towards the two Protoss pilots. He said, "Come on. Maybe we can get off this place before things go to hell."

Kerrigan resisted the urge to yell. He was right. It was their only chance to get off the planet before annihilation. This, of course, might end even worse if Tassadar decides to torture them before execution.

---

Both Ranma and Kerrigan had their own interceptor to ride on to the Gantrithor. Ranma spent his time trying not to press any buttons as he figured he would somehow crash and explode if he messed around with the complex system. As the group approached the ship, Ranma saw his interceptor separate from the girl he was with. He hoped he made the right choice in coming here instead of looking for alternative options. Upon docking, Ranma's first words were him asking his ferry where the other person had gone to. The Protoss merely beckoned for him to follow. Ranma fumed at being ignored but reminded silent. They ended at a door which the Protoss opened and ushered Ranma into before leaving.

Ranma heard the door slide shut behind him. Although not stone, the door was of the same design as the one in the temple, so he figured he could still open it if needed. It was because of that that he felt this was his temporary room instead of a cell. The room had a large window overlooking space and specifically the 'planet' they had left. It was interesting to see as Ranma saw there was more to Tarsonis than the floating platforms. There was a whole planet looming not too far away. Besides the window, there was a desk with a chair Ranma had never seen before, a bed that Ranma swore was hovering off the ground, shelves, and an opening to another room that Ranma guessed was the bathroom.

Ranma dropped his pack on the floor and moved into the bathroom. He quickly shed his bloodied clothes and tried to spot the bathtub or shower. What he found was neither, or maybe a combination of both. An upright tube, with a clear glass covering was all that looked to be available. On the other side of the cover were four large holes that Ranma guessed gushed out water and under that were three buttons. On the floor was a drain. Ranma decided to approach this like a bathtub and opened the cover. Looking at the buttons which were green, red, and black, Ranma pressed the first one. A greenish, watery liquid gushed forth from the four deposits at an alarming, yet satisfactory rate. Ranma closed the cover and allowed the tube to fill.

When the tube was almost full, Ranma noticed a problem. How would he turn off the 'water' let alone get in without spilling everything? He decided the best course of action would be to move quickly. The instant the cover was opened, the liquid poured out onto the bathroom floor. Luckily, there was a drain on the floor which took the spilled liquid. Ranma stepped in and secured the cover, allowing the liquid to fill again. He noticed that the liquid was a lukewarm cool type and not long after he became she.

When the water was roughly up to her neck, Ranma pressed the black button thinking the red was for heat which she would use later. A click was heard before all the liquid was unexpectedly drained almost instantly. Ranma stood there naked and completely confused. She growled in annoyance and pressed the green button for the third time. When the water was once again up to her neck, Ranma pressed the red button, hoping for the best. Fortunately, the tube stopped filling and this time it didn't drain.

Ranma then stood there confused. There was no shampoo, soap, or any other utensil used for cleaning. Ranma sniffed the liquid and noticed that it was scented and guessed that there were herbs and other things within that would clean her. She scrubbed herself with her hands and to her surprise actually _felt_ the grim leave her body. Also, she noticed that the blood didn't mix in with and pollute the liquid; it merely dissolved into bubbles and floated out of the liquid. After she finished scrubbing, Ranma took a breath and dunked her head under the liquid and attempted to 'lather' it. Once satisfied, Ranma resurfaced and relaxed. She noticed that while the liquid wasn't warm, it didn't seem to be losing temperature over time. When she decided that she was done, Ranma turned around and opened the latch of the cover. Ranma suddenly found herself sprawled on the floor as the liquid rushed out, bringing her with it.

Ranma sighed from her spot on the floor. She pulled herself up and walked to the sink. She didn't feel like having to explain her curse to these people. The sink was considerably easier to understand: two knobs, one for hot water and one for cold. She doused herself with the quickly heated liquid and grabbed what he guessed (hoped) was a towel and dried himself off. Once dry, he pleasantly noted that the liquid didn't dry sticky was relevantly quick to air-dry. He dressed in fresh clothes and looked out his window.

The platform 'planet' was still there, yet the position was different now. It seemed like the front of the ship was now facing it. Suddenly, a voice boomed out from some speaker Ranma couldn't locate. It was in a different language, one that he guessed belonged to the Protoss. Ranma had learned to tell from tone, pace, and other indistinguishable voice differences vaguely what someone was saying in a different language. He had picked up the ability after years of training with Genma in different countries. However, all that he was able to pick up from this was the word Tarsonis and then a count down of some sort.

"Zhek… Guz… Azet… Tehn… Jot… Et…" A dull hum began. Ranma braced himself. He didn't know what the Protoss had said exactly, but somewhere in his mind he knew what was going to happen. Ranma pressed himself against the glass of the window to get a better view of what was going to happen. The hum grew loud and louder. Without warning, the hum transformed into a blast sound that he could only associate with a laser and stopped altogether.

From his spot, Ranma could see a thick, blue beam shooting towards the platforms he had been previously. The beam silently tore through them, causing some form of explosion as the artificial atmosphere that had surrounded it before collapsed and rent the heavy metal apart before a fiery storm erupted throughout the platforms. The beam didn't stop there as it continued onward towards the rusty orange planet. The blue light burrowed its way into the surface. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, the planet shattered, spilling its molten core into space as the pieces split apart. The dead air quickly quenched the heated liquid and the light vanished. The planet was reduced to scattering asteroids. Nothing of the platforms remained.

Ranma grit his teeth after seeing the devastating effects of the beam. He knew that there had been innocent lives on the planet still. The platforms hadn't been all the life of Tarsonis. He forced himself to turn his eyes away from the scene as he reminded himself of what the Xel'Naga had told him. Zerg had been there too, and they would only turn the people into one of them and destroy all the life anyways. It had been necessary. It had to be necessary.

As Ranma sat on his floating bed, he thought of his new predicament. It was unique, that was for sure, but it wasn't too unusual for him. Killing gods, fighting spirits from the stars, people changing forms from different heated water, and the likes had been his life for the last couple of years. Aliens weren't too unheard of, and he _had_ traveled time before. He just had to end this war then find those people to send him home again. End a war… Easy enough, he supposed. At least there was a direct "bad guy" in this. The Zerg were unthinking beast bent on universal massacre. The other two factions were misguided but unmistakably good for the most part. Ranma made a basic plan for what to do: kill Zerg, find Zelnenga, go home. It was that simple.

Having decided on his course of action, Ranma got off his bed. He went to go find the girl he was with before to make sure she was alright. As he approached the door, he frowned. He didn't even know her name. With a shrug, he looked at the familiar door. It wasn't stone like before but a special metal. He tried to recall how the Protoss had opened the door before, but couldn't remember so he decided for the traditional 'physical force' method that had worked before.

Ranma slipped his fingers in the crack under the door and lifted. A screeching sound of metal on metal reverberated throughout much of the nearby ship. Ranma gasped at how much sturdier this door was to the other. He hoped that this wouldn't double in weight after a certain point like the other. The door lifted about a foot high when the dreaded click came. Ranma grunted as the weight forced the door back down to its original position. Ranma let it go. The irritating screech followed the whole way down.

Ranma narrowed his eyes at the door in frustration. Ryoga would have no problems whatsoever in this situation. Ranma got back into position and released his mental limiters, a trick he had learned long ago. It was the key to his unnatural jumps. It wasn't much of a challenge to extend the ability to his arms. Ranma got a grip on the metal once again before lifting. The door lifted much faster this time. The click came and passed without slowing Ranma's progress.

Outside the door, a group of Protoss was gathered in collective shock. The hallway was filled with the reptile-like people, watching the captured Terran with astonishment. Ranma lifted the door above his head, too focused in his task to notice the people outside. With a grunt, he heaved the door all the way into the frame where the satisfying crunch was heard and the door stayed in place. Ranma's arms dropped to his side in agony. He panted from the effort as thick beads of sweat dripped down his face. It was then he noticed the gathering.

Ranma's eyes scanned the mute group with wide, glowing eyes. He scratched his pig-tail and smiled nervously. "Um… Hey! Sorry 'bout the door, but I kinda needed to get a quick breath of air. Can any of you show me where the girl I was with is staying?" He took their continued silence as a lack of understanding. He wildly gestured with his hands as he asked again, missing them flinch back at the sight of the impossibly strong arms.

"Stand aside," a strong voice came from one end of the hallway, behind all the gathered Protoss. The people snapped to attention at the sound, clearing a path to the human almost instantly. Ranma watched with caution as a large Protoss approached. He was wearing a solid suit of yellow armor, one that had large rings coming out over the shoulders. He had an intimidating presence as his deep blue eyes locked onto Ranma's. Ranma folded his arms, not all too concerned with the commanding presence this particular Protoss presented.

Tassadar, an aged Executor who had led the armies in large wars for centuries, took in his unexpected passenger. He had received word that the man's room's door had set off an alarm, despite being unlocked. He glanced casually to the door. Only his years of controlling his emotions prevented him from faltering midstride as he saw the door crushed into its socket. That thing had weighed tons, double when alarm was reached, and the force it took to crush the gears and locking mechanism inside would be… he glanced at the human… godlike.

He stopped in front of the young man and regarded him with his eyes for a moment before speaking. "En Taro Adun, Terran. I am Executor Tassadar, commander of the 1045th deployment and captain of the Gantrithor Warship."

Ranma didn't unfold his arms, the pain of moving them not being worth it just yet. Instead, he gave the Executor a sheepish grin as he said, "Hey. I'm Saotome Ranma of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. And, uh… I'm not exactly a Terran."

Tassadar raised the area an eyebrow should be. "Oh? And what are you then, Saotome?" The tone told Ranma he didn't believe him, but it wasn't impolite.

Ranma finally moved his arms and shrugged. "I'm human." He paused, before adding, "And please, call me Ranma."

Tassadar couldn't speak for a second, the words from an old… friend coming back to him. "_On Terra – Earth as they call it – There are two types of people,"_ Tassadar remembered, _"There are the humans and the Terran. Humans are the original, with Terran being their psionically potent evolved side. They are only just now beginning to evolve, but give it a few centuries and they will all be Terran. However, these humans have a gift I had never seen before. Never underestimate them, psionically potent or not."_ That had been many, many centuries ago. Tassadar wondered if this is what Zeratul had meant when he said that.

Zeratul had spoken the truth when he said that the humans would evolve. Tassadar had found no trace of any humans left on Terra or the colonies. They had all become Terran now. Yet, he could feel the lack of psi this _human_ had. This was troubling, but he didn't expect any answers anytime soon.

"Very well, Ranma. I'm sure you wish to see the other, so I shall take you there momentarily. However, in the future, would you be so kind as to simply press the black button in the center of the door to open it rather then waste hundreds of minerals on repairs?" Tassadar gestured to the door as he responded. "You are not a captive so they were never locked."

Ranma sweat-dropped at the simple way of opening the door. He was surprised he hadn't tried such an… obvious solution. He laughed nervously, "Yeah sure. Sorry 'bout that, Captain." Tassadar blinked at the title. Technically, it was correct as he was a captain, but he wasn't used to it as all the troops called him Executor, and he only had troops on board. He didn't correct Ranma.

Tassadar motioned for Ranma to follow as he walked down the hall. Ranma complied without complaint, eager to escape the many, eerie, glowing eyes watching him. As they walked, Tassadar spoke, "I saw that you had used the bathing tube three times in you… short stay. Were you having difficulties?" Ranma swore he could hear amusement in the Protoss's voice, but he answered nonetheless.

"I had never seen such a thing before, so, yes, I had some difficulties. Sorry about wasting so much… uh… fluid?" Ranma had no idea what to call the greenish liquid.

Tassadar glanced behind him at the young human. "The bathing tubes are a Terran design. That room is modeled for Terran with your technology for when you are guest."

Ranma shrugged. "Where I come from, we have nothing like that. We use showers and a furro."

Tassadar frowned as he looked forward again. "I'm sorry then that our accommodations didn't suit your needs. I believe I have never heard of this… furro before."

"Well, I guess you wouldn't have heard of it. It's only in Japan, where I'm from," Ranma said as he studied his surroundings. Everything was so clean, even for one from Japan.

"Ah, that would make sense. I only know of the relative Terran culture," Tassadar replied. He figured Japan to be a remote Terran province that he hadn't heard of yet. It was most likely on the Tarsonis platforms he found him on.

"Yeah, well, you would know more about that than me then," Ranma muttered under his breath, but Tassadar still heard him. The Executor chose not to respond.

After a few more minutes of walking, revealing the massive size of the carrier, Tassadar stopped. He gestured to a door. "This is where the female is resting." If the Protoss had a mouth, Tassadar would be smirking. "You may use the button to open this, this time."

Ranma ignored the jibe and tapped the black circle at the center of the door. The door opened smoothly and silently. Ranma watched it go up with amazed eyes. He had never seen a door do that before back in Japan. He turned his gaze from the door to the inside of the room. He saw the red head girl rise from her bed in alarm when once the door opened. She didn't relax when she saw Tassadar behind her temporary rescuer.

Ranma saw that the girl had a clean suit of armor and her hair was wet. She also must have had a bath. Ranma was willing to bet she had no problems with the strange contraption. Kerrigan looked to him and said in a terse voice, "Ranma, I see you are well."

Ranma walked into the room, making room for the Protoss to enter as well. "You don't look bad yourself either," he quipped before slapping a hand on his mouth when he realized how that sounded. He cautiously watched her to see if she would hit him, but she seemed too focused on the other inhabitant to have heard him. He sighed in relief.

Tassadar regarded the Terran commander who had slaughtered his ground forces with no malice in his expression. "En Taro Adun, Terran. I am Executor Tassadar, commander of the 1045th deployment and captain of the Gantrithor Warship."

Ranma noticed the fear in the girl's eyes as she responded with a "Lieutenant Kerrigan." At least he had her name now.

Ranma dragged the attention of the two to him. "Well, thank you, Captain, for rescuin' me and Kerrigan from the Zerg."

Kerrigan leveled a glare at the man who got them captured by the enemy, ignoring that he saved her life in the mean time. "_Lieutenant_ Kerrigan." Ranma didn't understand her meaning.

Tassadar ignored the correction. "It was my pleasure, Ranma. We had sent in ground forces to protect the civilians on Tarsonis from the Zerg so that they could escape, but," he cleared his throat, "The forces were unfortunately eliminated. We did what we could to rescue the remainders, but you and Lieutenant Kerrigan were the only ones we could pick up without interference from the Zerg forces."

Ranma glanced at the red head. She had stiffened, her face going white, when she heard the news. She stuttered, "Th-those were to protect the civilians? Did you send an announcement to Mengsk?"

Tassadar glared in restrained anger, but not at Kerrigan. "Yes, I did. However, instead of responding, he sent a team down to wipe out my forces and defend the Zerg."

Ranma stopped cold. "What kind of fool would do such a thing? Who the hell would follow such an order?" He asked angrily. Maybe that group Kerrigan was with would have lived if the Protoss had been there to help them.

Kerrigan began couldn't look up off the floor. She couldn't bring herself to speak either, the icy chill of betrayal creeping across her.

Tassadar saved Kerrigan, looking at Ranma with a knowing look, "A good soldier would follow an order, Ranma, especially if they trusted their leader." Kerrigan didn't look up.

"But still!" Ranma insisted, "Who would trust a man who would defend the Zerg?!"

"I would," Kerrigan whispered. Ranma's intense gaze snapped to her. She raised her head to meet him, tears leaking down her face.

Ranma's look softened, but his anger didn't diminish. "Why?"

Kerrigan opened her mouth, but Tassadar answered for her, "She wasn't given all the facts." Ranma looked back to him. Tassadar was only looking at Kerrigan. "He told you that it was necessary that the Zerg was there, to defeat the Confederacy. He told you that we were only there to kill the Zerg and that it would only benefit the confederacy."

It was more of a question than a response, so Kerrigan nodded her confirmation. She wiped her tears. "I should have listened to Jimmy; he tried to tell me. I followed Mengsk." More tears fell.

Ranma wanted to put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but he wasn't sure he should. Touching girls only caused problems, he knew that. Instead, he chose to remain silent as he thought about the situation. Apparently, Terran weren't as 'good' as he thought they were. He sighed. Apparently there were good and bad sides to everything, even when there was a common enemy. He briefly wondered if there was a 'good' side to the Zerg that he hadn't heard of yet, but he banished the thought away, knowing that the all of the Zerg were ruled by the Overmind.

"Ranma, Lieutenant Kerrigan, where would you like us to drop you off? Would you like to return to the Sons of Korhal or some other location?" Tassadar offered. He understood the betrayal she faced and figured that she would most likely not return to Mengsk, but he still offered.

Ranma's question came before Kerrigan's response. "What's the Sons of Korhal?"

Kerrigan had composed herself. She answered in a steady voice, her ghost training taking control over her emotions. "The Sons of Korhal are a rebel Terran group led by Arcturus Mengsk in hopes of defeating the Confederacy and uniting the scattered Terran. At least, that is what Mengsk told us." She didn't need to elaborate the meaning.

Ranma closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. He noticed that he was able to pick up things that were implied, things that he would have been previously ignorant too. His thinking was clearer. Something had changed since he came to Tarsonis, made him mentally stronger, but he couldn't find an outside influence like some Chinese potion he was used to. It felt more… natural, like if instead of something trying to brainwash him, a brainwash had been removed. He couldn't explain it and decided it didn't matter now.

"And this Mengsk," Ranma said into the silence. "He defended the Zerg and wiped out the Protoss protector troops?"

Kerrigan looked at him, the training that had been forced into her since her early teens in full control. Her emerald eyes looked like cold death, a look Ranma had seen before. Few had had a look like that before, but he had seen it. He was sure his own Soul of Ice gave him that look. "Mengsk may have issued the order, but I was the one who-"

"Followed orders," Tassadar finished for her with a tone that demanded finality. Kerrigan glanced at him before folding her arms and looking away.

Ranma continued, "It sounds to me these Sons of Korhal, or maybe just Mengsk, are just as bad as the Zerg. An ally to my enemy is my enemy." He paused for a second, thinking about the quote. He wasn't sure that was the right way to say it, but by the look on the other two's faces told him they understood. "But the others rebels, they don't know of this? It's just Mengsk, right?"

Kerrigan looked up at him, emotion coming back into her voice as she spoke. "Jim Raynor. He would have seen what happened and deserted the Sons. I believe they all would know by now. They would have to choose to stay with Mengsk or to desert with Ji- … Raynor. I believe it would be best if we found Raynor and went with him. I've known him for a long time, he's a good man."

"And what will you do, Captain?" Ranma asked. His presence had become more intimidating, more commanding. He fit in well with the Executor and Lieutenant.

Tassadar studied Ranma for a bit. He answered slowly, as if still considering, "After we return you two to your friends, my fleet shall report back to my home world. I'm afraid the Conclave may need to send more troops to prevent the Zerg from spreading further." It was very subtle, but Ranma was sure that Tassadar was hiding something from him. It didn't seem to be a threatening secret, so he let it pass.

"How will you find this Raynor?"

"Leave that to me," Kerrigan answered. She looked determined, eager for vengeance against the one who betrayed her or to reunite with her old friend. Ranma didn't know which.

* * *

(1) Tassadar's eye color... What is it?!?!?! You click on his unit, and they are an awesome shade of oceanic blue, but in the movie, specifically the one where he crashed the Gantrithor, his eyes are gold. -_- So, I'm going to assume he can change his eye color.

* * *

Okay, chapter one is now finished. As you can see, the story starts pre-BW, the middle of the Terran campaign. This will continue from here through the war and a ways after. I can't wait for Duran and Samus to join in the story, but they won't be here for a while, unfortunately. Sorry Metroid fans.

Next chapter will feature Jim Raynor and (I think) Zeratul. Will they actually meet the weapon and unlock their memories next chapter? I honestly don't know, but we'll find out eventually. Okay, hardcore Starcraft fans, you are free to rip my story to shreds where it fails to comply with the Starcraft universe. I haven't read the books or anything, so my stuff is prolly missing quite a bit. I'll do what I can to fix things, but some things will stray from SC as things like Metroid and random things that follow Ranma interfere.

Call me out on any grammar / spelling mistakes you see, I'll get em fixed.

* * *

Preview for next chapter:

_Ranma's icy blue eyes never left the space where the air was distorted. She stepped with the hidden form, matching its pace as it tried to step around her. The form seemed to understand that it was seen. A crackling sound was heard followed by a low hum. Ranma's danger sense twitched at the sound of the hum. The form charged. Ranma sidestepped, barely missing what she was sure would have been death. She had barely caught a flash of chaotic green light before she was forced to move. The thing was skilled, Ranma could tell, but it was cocky. It moved with certainty that its opponent wouldn't be able to see its real movements._

_Ranma had no such problems. Her ki had been sent out and the form was clear as day. It was almost like a Protoss, but it was different… corrupted. Ranma dodged another attack from whatever was humming on the thing's arm and decided it was time to end the fight. She slipped into the Umi-Sen-Ken, catching the Protoss unawares. She crept up behind it and dealt a crushing blow to its head. The thing stumbled forward. It flickered into sight for a few seconds before its cloak completely failed._

_The form fell to the ground. Ranma stepped over the monstrosity and flipped it over so it was facing her. She dropped the Umi-Sen-Ken so it could see her. The thing's glowing green eyes danced around dazed. Ranma gripped the things shrouded chin and forced its head to face her. "Who sent you?" She demanded._

_The thing closed its eyes, but still spoke in a soft, liquidy voice, "I see that you are not the one I was sent for." Despite Ranma knowing it had no mouth, the covered face still moved as it spoke._

_"Well, I'm the one you got, so start speakin'. Who sent you?" Ranma demanded._

_The thing appeared to smile, but it was impossible to be sure. It didn't respond. Ranma knew it wasn't dead nor unconscious. Rage filled her. She hit it once in the cheek, causing a loud crack and a flash of shattering blue light. The Protoss's eyes snapped open as its bony head jerked to the side. Never before had it been hurt by such a thing. The bony cheek throbbed painfully. The outer skin of a Protoss was resistant to most minor physical damage, the bone under stronger than most metals. Also, the Dark Templar energies that flowed through it should have protected it from such a minor attack._

_The Protoss, finally able to focus, stared up at the Terran that had defeated it. The blow to the back of the head had bypassed the shield, a feat not all too uncommon if a Dark Templar was uncloaked. However, this _Terran_ had not only done that when it was cloaked, but also _crushed_ the shields with the hit to its face. It felt its psi slowly regenerating the shield._

_Ranma watched the Protoss lift its slender arms to its black mask. It undid some form of knot at the back and pulled away the black material. What she saw stunned her. The Protoss pinned under her, the one sent to assassinate Kerrigan, the one with corrupted energies… was a girl._


End file.
